Who is Brian McLaren?

Brian McLaren is the presenter of the 1st session of Animate: Faith, entitled "God: Faith is a Quest."

Brian is an author, speaker, activist, and networker among innovative Christian leaders. He was a college English professor when he and his wife started a church in their living room. That church became Cedar Ridge Community Church, Spencerville, Maryland, where he was pastor for nearly 20 years.

His dozen-plus books include A New Kind of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy, Naked Spirituality, and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?

Five fast facts

1. Lives with his wife in Marco Island, Florida
2. Has four adult children and two granddaughters
3. Released an album of original music called Learning How to Love in 1978
4. Is an avid wildlife and outdoors enthusiast
5. Has a BA and MA in English from University of Maryland

(bio from: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/faith/voices/brian/)

You can visit McLaren's website at: http://www.brianmclaren.net/ 

Listen to McLaren on NPR (just an 8 minute interview) here: Embracing Diversity in a 'Multi-Faith World.'

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January 2016 Update:
Listen to Brian McLaren and hear about his most recent book on the podcast Newsworthy with Norsworthy here: We Make the Road by Walking.

Who is Phyllis Tickle?

The second session, History, is presented by Phyllis Tickle:

Phyllis’s current career as a Christian author and speaker is really her third career. First she was a Latin and humanities professor at an art college. Then she was the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly.

Among her most notable books are The Divine Hours, which are seasonal books of daily prayer, and The Great Emergence, about the massive transition in which the church currently finds itself. A highly sought-after speaker, she has announced that she will retire from public speaking in 2014.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with her husband on a farm in Lucy, Tennessee
2. Raised nine children
3. A lay Eucharistic minister and lector in the Episcopal church
4. Was the academic dean to the Memphis College of Art
5. Has an honorary LHD from the Berkeley Divinity School of Yale Divinity School and from North Park University

(Bio info from Spark House: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/phyllis/)

Read more on Phyllis Tickle's website: http://www.phyllistickle.com/.

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Update on January 24th, 2016: As we prepare to begin another Animate study (Animate: Practices), I realize that it is time to update this post on Phyllis Tickle. Ms. Tickle passed away on September 22nd, 2015, just a year after the Practices study came out. She was 81 and had lung cancer. The New York Times reported:

In May, reflecting on her life, Ms. Tickle told the magazine The Christian Century that she had always been guided by an inner voice, even as she coped with a terminal illness.

“Which is why it doesn’t bother me,” she said. “The dying is my next career.”

She was a powerful woman leader in the Christian community, and her voice will be missed as the community continues to wrestle with the hard issues! We are so glad to be able to continue to learn from her through the books and videos she left behind.

Listen to Brian McLaren speak about Phyllis Tickle's legacy on the Newsworthy with Norsworthy podcast here: Brian McLaren: Phyllis Tickle's Legacy.